ere is more on the impending fluke issue that I wrote about in my last article "A Glimpse into 2008." ……On January 21st on a cold Monday night over 400 anglers united at the Manasquan Elks Lodge to discuss strategies to save the summer fluke fishery. The event was sponsored by the Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund www.SSFFF.net. Congressman Frank Pallone and State Senators Sean Kean and John Adler and Assemblyman David Rible were on hand to show their support and readiness to take this fight to the legislative level.

Greg Hueth, co-founder of the organization and President of the Shark River Surf Anglers said "This is the biggest issue we have ever faced from every point. We are going to fight this with legislation and better science." Hueth continued, "Legislation is needed to add flexibility to be built into the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act that will enable stock managers a reasonable level of regulatory flexibility to adjust stock rebuilding periods. And as far as better science we need to come up new science that will give us a more realistic assessment of the fluke population."

Tony Bogan who sits on the Board of Directors for SSFFF said in the 77 years that his family has been in business this has been the best fluke fishing that they have ever seen, and this is all up and down the coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina. "Right now the science that is in place from the NMFS is the law, but this science is wrong. We will be looking to hire our own independent scientists to come up with the correct data on population assessments that everyone is seeing." But Bogan added, "There is nothing to force the Federal Government to look at our science as better than theirs, there are no guarantees."

Legal Counselor Ray Bogan who was on the panel said "The Magnuson-Stevens Act is the primary fisheries act that dictates what happens to our fisheries across the nation, and there needs to be flexibility in the Act. As long as the stock shows a trend towards rebuilding we should be allowed to keep a fluke fishery open with reasonable limits. A need for better science will show stocks have been moving in this direction."

Congressman Pallone said "Since the Magnuson-Stevens Act was just reauthorized a little over a year ago getting it to open again could be a problem." He said he will need the support of representatives and a senator to sponsor and push through legislation to get the House Resources Committee to amend the Act.

Pallone added, "We are fighting a few national environmental groups that are getting national media coverage and that Congress needs to be educated that fisheries are important to many people and livelihoods. Right now we have nothing to contradict the science except the anecdotal evidence from fishermen". Pallone ended by saying that he believes that we can win this fight because Congress will respond to a lot of people saying that this must be done.

As far as the environmental groups that we are up against in this fight that sees the fluke populations in crisis Nick Cicero, National Sales Mgr The Folsom Corp who sits on the Board of Directors said "These people have no interest in the environment, they are anti-fishing fundamentalist. They are our enemy and they do not like our lifestyle. They are trying to take this away from us, our God-given right. The outcome of this battle against them will have far reaching effects into other fisheries, blackfish, scup, etc. There is a cancer out there to see that we will never fish again."

Tony Bogan said "These environmental groups are backed by the PEW Trust and Marine Fish Conservation Network and there mission is to get more members as they exist for the crisis."

Dave Arbeitman owner of the Reel Seat in Brielle who also sits on the Board of Directors said "The ASA, American Sportfishing Association, has pledged support to our effort and we are planning a fund raising event in the near future to help support our effort for more accurate science."

During the question and answer period Michael Weinstein, President of the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium stood up and also pledged the possibility of $70,000 in Sea Grant funds towards the purpose of better science if he can convince NOAA of the importance to do so.

From my perspective the statement made by Hueth "This is the biggest issue that we have ever faced" is a pretty bold statement to make but he is exactly correct. This issue that is currently on the table is not just about fluke anymore but is about our right to fish as Cicero stated.

The adversaries that we are up against in the fluke issue are high powered environmental groups that are committed to saving the environment. Their platform is commendable and sound because who can truly argue against saving the environment. No fisherman that I ever knew has ever been opposed to this. Their tactics and methods however are completely skewed as they have no interest in the fisherman or fishing or using true and correct science to assess stocks.

In an article written in the Asbury Park Press on 11/23/07 it states,

"The Pew Charitable Trusts' Environmental Group favors stringent cutbacks next year and claims that fishermen have been overfishing since 1982." The article continues down to read "The problem with Pew's assertion is that this is not happening. There was not one year in the next 10 after the management plan went into effect that the biomass did not expand. Even with the low minimum sizes, the long seasons and more angling pressure than today, the biomass grew."

Continuing down in the article

"The Pew Group admits that there are four times as many summer flounders now as there were in 1992, but claims that biologists say this is still an unhealthy fishery. The National Marine Fisheries Service said the summer flounder fishery is overfished and overfishing is occurring."

Since this environmental organization and others have no interest in looking at or obtaining true and correct science to assess stocks to support their cause that makes them very dangerous. They say this is the data and this is the law therefore it will stand.

This makes them dangerous because the non-fishing public hears their cry and will agree with them. The non-fishing public, who I include Congress in this category, needs to hear true and valid scientific evidence that will show that stocks are not in danger of being decimated or overfished and are healthier now than they have ever been. Every professional charter boat or commercial fisherman can attest to this fact. In my mind these are the best experts that we have.

Collecting new science on the stock assessments and getting Congress to notice it that will validate what the professionals are seeing is not going to come easily or quickly or without a cost. Therefore the SSFFF needs your financial support to fund the political and scientific goals they have established to save this fishery for us as the lines have been drawn. What happens in the fluke decision will have far reaching effects into other fisheries as quoted above. You can help out and do your part to insure that summer flounder remains a viable fishery, maintains its economic impacts, continues to support the livelihood and well being of many people in many different walks of life, and continues as it has in the past as one of New Jersey’s favorite fishing recreational pastimes by sending a donation to:

Save the Summer Flounder Fishery Fund
PO Box 86
Brielle, NJ 08730